Wednesday, April 24, 2013
The Virginia lawmaker introduced the measure on Earth Day, saying the fee would reduce littering and encourage use of reusable bags.
Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.) on Monday introduced a measure that would impose a 5-cent fee on plastic and paper bags at grocery and retail stores in the commonwealth. The fees would go toward supporting the Land and Water Conservation Fund. The Trash Reduction Act of 2013 is modeled after a policy implemented in 2009 in Washington, DC. Montgomery County, Md., also has a similar policy. The number of single-use plastic bags in DC dropped from the 2009 monthly average of 22.5 million to just 3 million per month by the end of 2010, according to a news release from the lawmaker's office. The Land and Water Conservation Fund Program provides matching grants to states and local governments for the acquisition and development of public outdoor …
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Northern Virginia NORML chapter would like to see marijuana laws handled on the state level, not the Federal level.
Howard “Cowboy” Wooldridge, a former police officer who is now a national lobbyist for repealing marijuana laws, turned his beliefs into a t-shirt that he proudly wears everywhere: “Cops Say Legalize Pot. Ask Me Why.” Wooldridge wore the shirt Thursday night when speaking to more than 20 people at the Northern Virginia chapter of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) meeting in Falls Church. For the last 15 years – the last eight full time – Wooldridge, a retired 18-year police veteran in Michigan, has traveled the country spreading his opinions that the prohibition of marijuana should be repealed. Some NORML members at the meeting shared Wooldridge’s thoughts on the issue. “The national polls say 54 percent of…
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Connolly writes letter to Postmaster General, asking for legal justification; cites study that says reducing mail volume will lead to revenue loss of $5.2 billion in first year.
Stopping the mail on Saturdays? Not so fast, say two members of the Northern Virginia congressional delegation. Northern Virginia's U.S. Rep. James P. Moran (D-8th) and U.S. Rep Gerald Connolly (D-11th) expressed concern Wednesday afternoon about the U.S. Postal Service's announcement that it plans to suspend delivery of first-class mail service on Saturdays beginning in August. The USPS released a fact sheet Wednesday. “I have great concerns about eliminating Saturday mail delivery," Moran wrote in an email to Patch. "The Postal Service is grappling with major forces outside of its control: an economy increasingly relying on email and the Internet for communication, and a Congress that refuses to address the redundant pension pre-funding …
Monday, February 4, 2013
What will it mean for the Northern Virginia economy?
Sequestration — $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts to defense and civilian programs over the next decade — will likely happen, and it will mean thousands of layoffs, program eliminations and near-certain economic devastation for Northern Virginia, said Virginia Congressmen Jim Moran (D-8th) and Gerry Connolly (D-11th) on Saturday at a town hall meeting in Mount Vernon. "You need to be aware that this is probably going to happen," said Moran, who spoke at an annual meeting conducted by Mount Vernon District Supervisor Gerry Hyland. "It's a democracy and things will ultimately play themselves out, but things are not going well right now (in Congress)." Congress averted the fiscal cliff crisis at the beginning of the year, and …
Thursday, January 31, 2013
Activist who released Patrick Moran video would not cooperate with investigation, according to police.
Patrick Moran, the congressman's son who was caught on tape seemingly giving advice on how to skirt voter identification laws, will not face any criminal charges, the Arlington County Police Department announced Thursday. Authorities have concluded their three-month investigation into election offense allegations against Moran, son of U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, a Democrat who represents parts of Northern Virginia. The allegations stemmed from a video released in late October by conservative activist James O'Keefe, whose methods and productions have been called into question in the past. The younger Moran resigned from his father's reelection campaign within hours of the video's release. Moran, 23, lives in South Arlington. Patrick Moran and his …
Monday, January 21, 2013
... and who would he support in 2016?
U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, D-Va., talks to Patch about why President Barack Obama doesn't get a honeymoon this time, obstruction in the House of Representatives, sequestration and other topics at the Virginia Inaugural Ball. More: Virginia Inaugural Ball: 'You Can't Help But Feel Optimistic' Photos: Virginia Inaugural Ball
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Officials from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties met in Arlington to discuss six potential sites Thursday.
Local, state and congressional leaders met Thursday in Arlington to discuss six potential sites for a new FBI headquarters and to present a unified front in their commitment to landing the new federal complex somewhere in Northern Virginia. Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, who called the meeting, said leaders from Fairfax, Loudoun, Prince William and Stafford counties had a "singular focus" in bringing the FBI headquarters to the Old Dominion. "We're all committed to finding a home for the FBI in the commonwealth of Virginia," Moran said during a news conference following the meeting. "We are all going to promote Virginia as the best place for this relocation." Elected officials were briefed on six potential sites — in Herndon, at Dulles …
Wednesday, January 2, 2013
Connolly says he planned to vote while "holding my nose." Moran says measure puts Northern Virginia "on the chopping block."
The U.S. House of Representatives Tuesday night passed HR 8, the Tax Relief Extension Act, a permanent extension of many Bush-era tax cuts by a vote of 257 to 167. The late-night vote was taken at 10:57 p.m. Annandale, which is split between two congressional districts — the 8th District (Congressman Jim Moran) on the east side and the 11th District (Congressman Gerry Connolly) on the west side, saw both a "yes" vote (from Connolly) and a "no" vote (from Moran). The legislation keeps the Bush era tax cuts for individuals making less than $400,000 and couples making less that $450,000. It also makes permanent the fixes for the Alternative Minimum Tax and delays government spending cuts for two months. Here's the breakdown of Northern …
Monday, December 24, 2012
"The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," the NRA's Wayne LaPierre said.
In an Friday morning press conference, the Fairfax-based National Rifle Association broke its weeklong silence following the horrific shooting of 26 people at a school in Newtown, Conn., and called for a surge of gun-carrying "good guys" around American schools. NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre called for a new kind of American domestic security revolving around armed civilians, arguing that "the only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun." "We care about our president, so we protect him with armed Secret Service agents," LaPierre said. "Members of Congress work in offices surrounded by Capitol Police officers. Yet, when it comes to our most beloved, innocent, and vulnerable members of the American …
Saturday, December 15, 2012
Patch welcomes letters to the editor. We reserve the right to edit for accuracy, clarity and brevity.
Patrick Moran, son of Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim Moran, this week pleaded guilty to a simple assault charge stemming from what law enforcement categorized as a domestic violence incident on Dec. 1. The victim — Moran's girlfriend of six months, Kelly Hofmann — subsequently issued a statement saying the incident had been blown out of proportion. A source familiar with the case told Patch this week that Hofmann testified on Moran's behalf in court. [Read the original story: Patrick Moran, Congressman's Son, Pleads Guilty in Domestic Violence Case] Patch has verified the letter's authenticity and is presenting it in its entirety. ~ Hi Jason, For the record, I would like to make clear, as I did in court on this past Wednesday; I take strong …
T Ailshire
5:22 pm on Sunday, April 28, 2013
First - if it's a tax, it should be a tax on everyone. No exemptions; no subsidies. ALL or nothing. What is a good way? Pick them up. Don't just let it blow by you in the parking lot or on the street -- do YOUR part. And yes, I do use cloth bags. more ›